The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) joined with other financial industry, education and advocacy organizations last month to lead National Retirement Planning Week, a national effort to increase awareness of the need for comprehensive retirement planning. Throughout the week, we were able to bring together thought leaders from the public and private sectors, academics, and consumer advocates to cover all areas of retirement—new research was presented, seminars were provided and financial planning was promoted.
But the most important conversations that were taking place during National Retirement Planning Week were happening between financial professionals and their clients. According to new IRI research unveiled at the beginning of the week, confidence in retirement security is severely depressed with only 36 percent of baby boomers being confident in having enough assets to live comfortably during retirement. Yet, previous IRI research studies have shown that 90 percent of boomers who work with a financial planner believe they are doing a good job preparing financially for retirement. Those who work with advisors are on their way. So how do we increase the number of people who turn to a financial professional for help?
